G O T li S. 
dirperfcd \n Dalmatin, '\'^eneHa, and Gaul. In this in- 
activ'e date they were fuffered to remain, until the puul- 
lanimous charadler of Theodatus emboldened his army 
to decl.arc him unworthy of his race, Ids nation, and his 
throne ; and their g’eneral Vitiges, whofe valour had 
been fignalized in the Illyrian war, was raifed wdth una- 
nirncus apr.hiufe on th.e bucklers of has companions. 
On the firfl rumour, the abdicated monarch fled from 
his country ; but he was purfued by a Goth whom he 
haul inj;:red, who overtook Theodatus on theFlaminian 
way, and, regardlefs of his bitter cries and entreaties for 
Ids life, flaughtered him as he lay profirate on the 
ground, A. D. 536. Though the choice of the Goths 
had made Vitiges their king, yet he was impatient to 
return to Ravenna, where he might feize the reluctant 
hand of the daughter of Amalafontha, in order to found 
fome claim of hereditary right. A national council 
was immediately iteld, and the new monarch reconciled 
the impatient fpirit of the barbarians to a meafure of 
difgrace, which the ndfeondudt of his predecelfor had 
rendered iudifpenfabl'e. Tlie Goths confented to re¬ 
treat from the prcfence of a vidtorious enemy ; to delay 
till tlie next fpring the operations of offenfive war; to^ 
fumnion their fcattered forces ; to relinquifh their dif- 
tant polfelhons, and to tridt even Rome itfelf to the 
faith of its inhabitants. Leuderis, an aged Gothic vvar- 
'rior, was left in the capital with four thoufand foldiers ; 
bat who betrayed his truft to the Romans. Belifarius, 
utter completing Ids conqueft of Naples and Cuma?, ad¬ 
vanced haftily to Rome ; and the city, after fixty years 
fervitude, was delivered from the yoke of the barba¬ 
rians, A. D. 536. 
'I'he defigns of Vitiges were in the mean time executed 
■vyitli diligence and etfedl. From their rutlic habita¬ 
tions, from their didant garrifons, the Goths atrcmbled 
at Ravenna for-the defence of their country ; and fuch 
were tlieir numbers, that after an army had been de¬ 
tached for the relief of Dalmatia, one hundred and fifty 
thoufand fighting men marched under the royal fland- 
ard. According to tlie degrees of rank or merit, tlie 
Gothic king diftributed arms and Iiorfes, rich gifts, and 
liberal promifes. He raifed the fieges of Perufia and 
Spoleto, and arrived within two miles of Rome, at the 
foot of the Milvian bridge, in the month of March, 537. 
At the head of one thouiand horfe, Belifarius fallied 
from the Flaniinian gate to mark tlie ground of an ad¬ 
vantageous polition, and to furvey the camp of the bar¬ 
barians ; but while he believed them on the other fide of 
the Tyber, he was fuddenly enconipaficd and afiaulted 
by tlieir innumerable fquadrons. The fate of Italy de¬ 
pended on his life ; and the defertejs pointed to the 
confpicuous bay horfe w'hich he rode on that memora¬ 
ble day. “ Aim at the bay horfe,” was the univerfal 
cry. Every bow' was bent, and every javelin diredted, 
againfi that devoted objedt, and the command was 
obeyed by thoufands who were ignorant of its real mo¬ 
tive. Tlie bolder barbarians advanced to the clofer 
combat of fwords and I'pears ; and the praife of hifiory 
has graced the fall of Vifandus, the Gothic fiandard. 
bearer, who maintained his foremoil: ftation till he was 
pierced with thirteen wounds, perhaps by the hand of 
Belii'arius hitnfeif. Tlie Roman general, ftroiig, ac¬ 
tive, and invincible, on every fide difeharged his mortal 
firokes : ids faithful guards imitated hi^ valour, and de¬ 
fended his perfoii ; and the Goths, after the lofs of a 
X thoufand men, fled before the arms of the hero. They 
were rashly purfued to their camp; and the Romans, 
oppreil’ed by multitudes, in tlieir turn made a precipi¬ 
tate retreat to the gates of ihe city : the gates were (hut 
againfi their own troops ; and the public terror was iii- 
creafed by the report that Belifarius was flain. TheFlami¬ 
nian gate was at length throvMi open j but not till Beliia- 
rius had performed prodigies of vaiouF, and defended 
iiiiiifels from a hoft of enemies. 
Tiie vvliole army of tlie Goths now paifed the Tyber, 
and formed the regular fiege of the city, which con* 
tinned above a ye,ar. The prudenee of Belifarius made 
every male inhabitant a foldier. His troops were re¬ 
lieved by the 'zeal and diligence of the people, who 
watched while they fiep.t, and laboured while they re- 
pofed. With a veteran band of only five thoufand 
men, he undertook to defend a circle of twelve miles, 
againfi an^army of one hundred and fifty tlioufand bar¬ 
barians. Yet this formidable hoft of the Goths was in- 
fufficient to embrace the circumference of the city ; of 
the fourteen gates, feven only were invefted; and Vi¬ 
tiges divided his troops into fix ramps, each of which 
was fortified with a ditch and rampart. On the Tiifcan 
fide of the river, a feventh encampment was formed in 
the field or circus of the Vatican, for the purpofe of 
commanding the Milvian bridge and the courfe of the 
Tyber; but they approached with devout circumfpcc- 
tioii the contiguous churcli of St. Peter ; which it was 
their anxious care to preferve from facrilegious iiifult. 
From the moment that Belii'arius had determined to 
fuftain a fiege, his firft care was to provide againft the 
danger of famine. An extraordinary fupply of corn 
was imported from Sicily : the harvells of Campania 
and Tufeany were forcibly fwept for the ufe of the 
city : and the rights of private property were infringed 
by the ftrong plea of the public fafety. It might eafily 
be foreleen that the enemy would intercept the aque- 
dudls; and the ceftation of the water-mills was the firll 
inconvenience, w'hich was fpeedily removed by mooring 
large velfels, and fixing mili-ltones in the current of the 
river. The llream ivas I'obn embarrafied by the trunks 
of trees, and polluted with dead carcafes ; yet fo eft'ec- 
tual were the precautions of tlie Roman general, that 
the waters of the Tyber ftill continued to give motion 
to the mills, and drink to the inhabitants. Anxious to 
relieve himfelf from an ufelefs and devouring multitude, 
Belifarius ift'ued peremptory orders for tlie inftaiit de¬ 
parture of the women, the children, and flaves ; requir¬ 
ed his foldiers to difmifs their male and female atte.n- 
dants, and regulated their allowance, that one moiety 
fiiould be given in provilions, and the other in money. 
Yet in the latter months of the fiege, the people was ex- 
pofed to the miferies of Icarcity, unwliolefonie food, and 
contagious diforders. Belifarius faw with poignant grief 
their i'uft'eriiigs ; but he rejefted with dildain tlie idea 
of flight or capitulation; reprefted their clamorous im¬ 
patience for battle; aniufed them with tlie profpeft of 
fpeedy relief; and fecured himfelf and tlie city from the 
eifefts of defpair and treachery. Succours for tlie deli¬ 
verance of the city at this doubtful crifis fortunately ar¬ 
rived. A fleet of three thoufand Ifaurians cart anchor 
in the bay of Naples, and afterwards at Oftia. Above 
two thoufand horfe landed at Tarentum ; and, after the 
juntfiion of five hundred foldiers of Campania, and a 
train of waggons laden with wine and flour, they dt- 
redled their march from Capua to the neighbourhood 
of Rome. The forces that arrived by land and lea, 
were united at the meuth of the Tyber. The Goths, 
alarmed with doubts and fears, let 011 foot a negotiation 
with BeliTarius, and the ambalTadors of Vitiges declared 
that, for the fake of peace, they were dilpofed to re¬ 
nounce for ever the poUeliion of Sicily. “ The empe¬ 
ror is not lei’s.generous,” replied his lieutenant, with a 
contemptuous futile; “ in return for a gift which you 
no longer pollefs, he prefeiits you with an ancient pro¬ 
vince of his empire; he refigns to the Gotlis the fo- 
vereignty of the Britifh illaiid.” Belifarius rejected with 
equal finniiels the offer of a tribute ; but he allowed the 
Gothic amball'adors to appeal to Juftinian himfelf; an^l 
confented to a truce of three months, for tlie purpofe 
of obtaining a peace ; but, as was fufpecled, the negu- 
tiation proved abortive. 
I'he whole nation of the Oftrogoths had been af. 
fembled for the attack, and was almoft entirsly confurn- 
ed in the liege, of Rome. If any credit be due to the 
hiitorians 
